Brief Guide on Hotel Cleaning For Housekeeping Department

Cleaning is the removal of dust , dirt , foreign material, tarnish and stain from various surfaces with the help of cleaning agents and equipments.

The guest who come to stay at a hotel expect it to be as clean as their homes. It create guest satisfaction, Reputation.  The whole Housekeeping team should know the importance of efficient cleaning. Efficient cleaning Results when certain principles are followed :-

Principles of cleaning

1. Sweeping the area before mopping

2. Allowing the dust to settle down

3. Dusting before vaccuming

4. Disinfecting the area immediately after cleaning

5. Using correct Equipment

6. use appropriate amount of disinfectant solutions

7. Control of energy

8. Use of quality products

9. Clean either in clockwise or anti - clockwise direction.

Cleaning Agents

Cleaning agents are chemicals which assist in cleaning . It includes wide ranges of chemicals, water which are required for stain removals, cleaning . The water alone will not be efficient cleaner so we need different cleaning agents . Most cleaning agents we combined with water and used .

1. Water :- It is regarded as the universal cleaning agent. It is simple cleaning agent. Water are hard and soft . Hard water do not produce lather with soap easily and can be boiled to remove hardness.

2. Soap :- soaps are made from combination of animal fats and caustic soda in various flavours. Soaps are usually three kinds - Bath soaps, washing soaps , liquid soaps

3. Detergents :- These are made from various chemicals and composed active ingredients builders and additives . When used with water they loose and remove dirt . A good detergent should have good wetting power, good emulsifying power and good suspending power. Emulsifying power is to break up grease and enable dirt to be loosened. Similarly different types of detergent are :- Neutral detergent, soapy detergent, synthetic detergent, biological detergent, mild alkali and strong alkali detergent.

4. Abrasives :- These are chemicals that depends upon scratching properties to clean dirt and grit. They are used to remove very stubborn stains on various surfaces. Types of abrasive are Hard abrasives- It includes sandpaper, steel wool, pumice . Their scale of hardness is from 6 to 9. They are not used alone in cleaning agents. Fine abrasives,Medium abrasive .

5. Bleach and Disinfectants :- Disinfectant brings varying range of microbial control. It brings germs control. They have strong smell so should not be used every where in hotel. different types of disinfectant used in hotel are :- phenols , Halogens, Natural pine oil. Sodium hypo chloride is powerful bleach used for stain removal.il It is poisonous 

6. Caustic soda :- It is used to clean drains. It is used with hot water and should not be brought in contact with hand.

7. Scouring powder :- This is used to remove stubborn food deposited in pots , aluminium pans.

8. Acids :- strong acid includes sulphuric acid , Nitric acid . They have low pH value. Weak acid are citric acid in lemon and acetic acid in vinegar.

9. Polishes :- polishes are mainly four types , Metal polishes , Furniture polishes , Floor polishes and leather polish. Polishes produce shine and should be choose according to the materials.

Cleaning Equipments

Efficient cleaning and maintenance of house keeping department depends upon high quality cleaning equipment and correct procedure to use them. Both mechanical and manual Equipments are used in House keeping department. 

A. Manual Equipment :- It includes all type of Equipments that helps in cleaning by using operation of employees.

Brushes :- It is used to remove dirt from hard floor and soft floor. Brush have three parts ; Bristles , Headstock and Handle. Bristle may be animal or man made origins. Softer bristles are used for smooth and hard surface. Bristle is the main component of brush to clean. Brushes are mainly Hard, soft and scrubbing types. Hard brushes is used in rough surface and cleaning of carpet.

Brooms :- Brooms bristles is made of grass , corn or coconut fibre .Brush should never be left standing on their bristles which will bend it shape. Also soft brush should not be used on wet surface . 

Mops :- Dry mops and wet mops are used in hospitality operations. Mop consists of handles. Mop head is made of cotton, sponge. Damp mops are four types - Kentucky, Foss,sponge and squeegee.

Cloths :- various clothes are used extensively in wet and dry cleaning by Housekeeping staff . Clothes are colour coded for their correct use. Types of cloth used are Dusters, glass cloth, floor cloths, wet cloths , polishing cloths.

Containers :- we use various types of containers in Housekeeping department which are :- Buckets, Dustbins, Hand caddies,.

B. Mechanical Equipment :-

Mechanical Equipments are powered by electricity or gas. Incorrect usage of this may result safety hazard. Some mechanical equipment are :-

Vaccum cleaners :- vaccum cleaners removes debris , soil, or water by suction. All vaccum cleaners operating principle is same. Vaccum cleaners are dry and wet.

Scarifying , Buffing and scrubbing machines which are general purpose floor cleaner machines. They add shine to the floor and removes dirt, dust. Their bristles is powered by electric motor.

Scarifying machines :- scarifying is the process by which heavy grease , mud , thick deposit are removed from surface of floors.

Soil

Soil is the collective term for deposits of dirt, dust, foreign matter, stains and tarnish

1. Dust :- It is Composed of loose particles deposited from the air . It is heavier than air and thus settles rapidly. It contain both organic and inorganic matter.

2. Dirt :- This implies dust held together firmly by moisture or grease on rough service

3. Tarnish :- This is discolouring or deposition on metal cause by chemical reaction substance found in air , water.

4. Foreign matters :- These may be dead flowers , content of waste paper basket and ashtray.

5. Stain :- stains are difficult to clean by regular routine cleaning process. Any stain should be removed as soon as possible. It is discoloration caused on hard or soft surface by substance containing acids , alkalis , proteins, dyes

STANDARD OF CLEANING :-

There may be different standard of cleaning for different surface and areas.

1. Physically clean :- when this standard is set ,the area or surface is supposed to be free from apparent dirt and dust

2. Chemically clean :- This standard means that the area should be free from harmful chemicals on surface and in surrounding air.

3. Bacteriologically clean :- To meet this standard,the surface should be cleansed so as to be free from any harmful bacteria causing infection

4. Entomologicalmy clean :- This meant that the area should be free from harmful insects and pests

5. Osmologically clean :- This cleaning standard demands that surface and areas should be free from inorganic and organic matter that emits an odour

6. Terminally clean :- It is standard of cleaning used in operational theatres and intensive care unit of hospital where the surface is constantly sanitized against all kind of microbes.

Spring Cleaning

This is a term used for periodic annual clean of the hotel guestrooms or other areas carried out on off season period. It involves many task where Housekeeping and maintenance department works in co - ordination. Usually off season is suitable for spring cleaning and involves cleaning of one guest room to entire block, section depending upon the requirements. Renovation works are extensively done. It also includes :-

Removal of all guest supplies , carpet of the room

Sending Launderable items to the laundry

Polishing wooden furniture, shampoo upholstery

Shampooing carpet 

Cleaning accessories such as picture frames, lamp

Restocking room

Restoring soft furnishings and carpets

Organization of Cleaning

For cleaning to be efficient, it must be well organized . Different ways of organizing the cleaning of various areas are :-

1. Orthodox cleaning :-

It is also known as conventional cleaning or traditional cleaning. In this way of cleaning, A guestroom Attendant completes all task in one guestroom before going onto next room.on an average, a guestroom attendant may be required to clean 12-20 rooms in an 8 hour workday.

2. Block cleaning :- In this way , the guestroom Attendant moves from room to room and completes the same task in every room , before returning to begin the cycle again for next task on list. It consists of more than one guest room attendant in section and blocking several rooms.

3. Team cleaning :- In this method , two or more people work together in same area either on same task or different task. Two guestroom Attendant may be scheduled to clean 30-35 guestrooms in a day

4. Deep cleaning :- Deep cleaning refers to intensive cleaning schedule in which periodic cleaning task are scheduled for monthly, half yearly , yearly . Some co - ordination from maintenance department is also required. It is essential for some areas which cannot be clean on daily and weekly basis and some tasks that are complicated, time consuming, require special equipment and team effort. It includes some task like :- shampooing carpet, polishing wooden furniture, Thoroughly cleaning of walls , windows and curtain, cleaning hard to reach areas.